


Five times Liam and Zayn saved Louis' life (figuratively or literally)

by pendules



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Childhood Friends, Friendship, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-04
Updated: 2013-05-04
Packaged: 2017-12-10 08:10:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/783786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendules/pseuds/pendules
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. <i>Zayn and Louis have pretty much been neighbours and best friends since birth, and Zayn only meets Liam through Louis, so maybe he should be grateful for that. He's not grateful for much else anyway.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Five times Liam and Zayn saved Louis' life (figuratively or literally)

_Age: 5_

Zayn and Louis have pretty much been neighbours and best friends since birth, and Zayn only meets Liam through Louis, so maybe he should be grateful for that. He's not grateful for much else anyway.

Like the fact that Louis almost dies about five minutes after this meeting takes place.

It's the first day of kindergarten. And of course, at recess, Louis takes it upon himself to befriend the shyest kid there. Which just happens to be Liam. Liam kind of has these ridiculous cheeks and he blushes a lot and tends to stutter when talking to people he doesn't know well. And Louis is enough to overwhelm anyone. He doesn't think his plan is working so he decides to take it to the next level: trying to impress him by being an obnoxious show-off (i.e. his forté).

Which is how he ends up swinging way too high and too fast and flying a distance that Zayn didn't think humanly possible. When he lands on the hard ground, he doesn't move at all.

There's a moment when Zayn's pretty sure he's actually dead.

But then there's a groan and he's lifting his head off the ground and turning to fucking grin at Liam, like, _Did you see? Did you see me?_ He doesn't look too bad, all things considered, except for a pretty nasty-looking cut on his chin.

And Liam's just standing there, looking like he's about to cry, like it's his fault or something that Louis is a fucking knob. Zayn is used to this by now and starts yelling for their teacher at the top of his lungs.

He gets ten stitches and grins through it all (Zayn's pretty sure they gave him something) and he lost a tooth and he fucking _gives_ it to Liam the next day and tells him to put it under his pillow with a wink. 

Zayn looks back at him when they're walking away and Liam's just looking down at his hand and smiling, so sweet and soft.

 

_Age: 10_

Louis' parents get a divorce when he's ten. And Zayn doesn't know what to say, because he never really does, he's not good with this sort of thing, and he's _ten years old_ and they aren't prepared for this. None of them are.

Zayn just sits there with him and he's sniffling a little and his eyes are red and splotchy and he's trying to be brave, probably for Zayn's sake, and fuck, he shouldn't have to be. Zayn should be brave for _him_ now.

Only then Liam's there and he just hugs him without thinking about it. And he says he brought all the candy he could find with an apologetic shrug and Louis laughs, actually _laughs_ , and Zayn remembers the tooth and how happy Liam was to have it and how good they are at knowing how to make each other feel better.

"Sorry I didn't bring anything," he says, suddenly ashamed for some reason.

"You didn't have to. You were enough," Louis tells him and his look is sure and determined. Zayn presses a kiss to his cheek and Liam's kind of looking at him like he's never seen him before. They eat candy and watch _Spy Kids_ and it's not okay, not really, but maybe it will be.

 

_Age: 15_

It's the end of summer and they're playing their last game of footie before school starts. Or, at least, Louis and Liam and Niall are. Zayn's just watching from the bleachers and wearing shades and sunscreen, thank you very much.

Liam laughs when Louis does something stupid (probably on purpose) and ends up on his arse in the mud. And well, shit, he looks good in his tight t-shirt and shorts. And yeah, maybe he's never noticed how fit Liam always was, but he's also grown a lot in just one summer and he's been hitting the weights. (Zayn's pretty sure his mouth was actually just hanging open their first time at the pool this summer when he'd stripped off his shirt and he'd seen what he was hiding under there.)

And also, there's the tiny, insignificant detail that he's only now coming to terms with the fact that he's totally in love with him.

It's not exactly difficult to fall in love with Liam Payne, he supposes. Even Louis thought he was into him for a while and Zayn had backed off and assumed that would happen but it never did and Louis moved on to other things and people. Liam hasn't dated much though. Not that he'd be hard-pressed to find a date now that he looks like _that_ and has _that_ smile and he's _that_ perfect - and yeah, Zayn's totally and truly gone over him.

His attention's pulled back to the game as they're apparently arguing over something. Someone's apparently kicked the stupid ball over the fence and doesn't want to go get it. Zayn just rolls his eyes. 

And of course, Louis's the first one to volunteer and scramble up the fence. And he's turning back to smile smugly at the rest of them when he's at the top, one leg thrown over it, and then he's losing his balance and toppling over it, about to fall on his head and break his neck - 

Zayn's heart basically stops for a moment. But then suddenly Liam's there, lightning-fast, and he's grabbing his leg and steadying him, and Jesus Christ, he's pretty fucking grateful right then. For both of them.

Maybe he should say it. But some other time.

Right now, he'll just settle for punching Louis as hard as he can in the shoulder and telling him he's a total fucking twat.

*

Zayn just grabs Liam and pulls him behind the bleachers after. He kisses him before he can even ask a question. He makes some confused noises at first but then he just sighs right into it, hands finding their way into Zayn's hair and he just pulls a little, bringing them even closer, like he's wanted this for so long, as long as Zayn has.

"I love you," he tells him when he pulls aways, because he can't keep it in anymore.

Liam's eyes are big and round and kind of disbelieving, almost like they were that first day Louis chose to talk to him.

"I love you too," he says.

Maybe they were so busy saving Louis all the time, they didn't realise they were saving each other too.

 

_Age: 18_

It's the end of summer and Harry's gone. Off to the city to make it big or whatever the fuck he goes on about all the time. He's gone and Louis's stopped talking.

He's gone and Zayn's actually worried for the first time he's known Louis. Actually worried that he'll break this time, because this is worse, a thousand times worse, than all those falls and scrapes and bruises. This is something else. This is a dark, consuming thing eating away at bits of his heart.

Because Harry was light and noise and colour and Louis fell towards him like he was drowning. It's never easy, the first person you really love, the first person who breaks your heart.

It's maybe harder to stand there and watch it happen. And there's nothing to do this time, there's no one to call, no place to take him to make it better. He just has to endure. And hope Louis will too.

Louis locks himself in the bathroom and they take it in turns to check on him, sit by the door and listen, bring him food, make sure he hasn't done anything crazy. Zayn wouldn't like to think he could be that self-destructive but when you're always the first one to leap from the cliff, what else can you be capable of?

They throw out all the booze and some pills they found that's probably Harry's and try to get rid of all the reminders and put his old life back together.

He comes out when they've just done, doesn't say anything, just sits on the newly made-up bed.

"Why does everyone always leave me?" he finally says, and it sounds so strained and desperate and awful, especially coming from him.

"Hey, hey," Liam says, sitting down right next to him, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on Louis' shoulder, holding him so tight he could almost break him. "I'll never leave you," he says, quietly. "I love you. Zayn loves you too."

Zayn approaches slowly, takes one of Louis' hands, lowers himself onto the floor, leaning against Liam's legs. They just stay like that for a long while, feeling each other breathe.

 

_Age: 21_

On his twenty-first birthday, Louis gets so drunk that he forgets who he is. And they save him a lot that night: from getting hit by a car, getting punched in the face by this huge dude at the club, falling off a table, falling into the gutter, falling into bed with a bunch of strangers that he really shouldn't be.

When they finally, finally, get him home and in bed, he just yells and curses and tells them he hates them and it's just drunken babble, really, Zayn's used to it, but Liam looks _livid_.

Because they've done this so many times, too many, over the last couple years and it's getting to him. To both of them, really, but Zayn never says anything, just pretends to be angry for a bit before everything goes back to normal.

Liam's totally not having it this time though.

*

When he stumbles into the kitchen at noon, they're waiting for him.

Zayn just slides a cup of coffee over to him with something like an apologetic look that is more of a grimace.

"We need to talk," Liam says.

"Can it wait until my head doesn't feel like it's exploding?"

"Louis, we're talking - now." And Jesus, in any other situation, Liam being so authoritative would be pretty hot to him.

"Okay, fine. What?" he spits out.

"We can't do this anymore," he says evenly.

"What? Do what?" Louis looks legitimately confused now.

"This - this thing where you pretend you don't care about yourself or anyone and then leave us to clean up your mess."

"I never asked for _your_ help," he says and it kind of cuts to the bone.

"I'm just saying - we won't be here all the time."

"Oh - you're just going to leave? Well, maybe you should just go then," he says nonchalantly, like it's not his greatest fear.

Zayn finally finds his voice. "Louis, I know you're scared. I know it's hard, not knowing what you're supposed to do. But you can figure it out. You can - you can be happy. That's all we want."

Louis just looks down at the table, expression changing to the most vulnerable he's ever seen him.

"I don't," he starts. "I don't know how to be that without _you_. I've never known." He shakes his head, like he's trying to shake it all off, the hurt and uncertainty and guilt.

"Well, you don't have to," Liam says, reaching across to take his hand. "We're here."


End file.
